1. Field of Invention:
This invention relates to transactions. Specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for facilitating transactions, such as information exchange or delivery, via use of biometrics.
2. Description of the Related Art:
Biometric systems are employed in various demanding applications, including e-passports, smart cards, keyless entry systems, and so on. Conventionally, biometrics are employed to facilitate user authentication, i.e., to verify identity and to enable a user to view data, enter physical locations or spaces, and so on.
An example biometric system enables viewing data in a database in response to a fingerprint scan. After authentication, a user may access controls to search for data select data and/or to enable transfer of data from the database. However, limited use of biometrics to merely grant access to data (as opposed to modification privileges) may limit functionality of accompanying systems, resulting in inefficiencies and excessive user input requirements. Such input may be time consuming and undesirably susceptible to human error, which can be especially problematic when used for facilitating financial transactions and other transactions where time and accuracy are important.
Such biometric systems are widely employed in smart cards, e-passports, and so on. Unfortunately, certain smart cards and passports have proven undesirably susceptible to hacking. For example, the chips on certain passports may be readily replaced with fake chips to enable thwarting certain passport verification systems and methods. Furthermore, including biometric information and functionality and additional information (e.g., identity information, electronic cash, etc.) in such tokens (e.g., passports and smart cards), may be particularly problematic when the tokens are lost or stolen.